Dallas Area Rapid Transit moved forward Tuesday night in its plan to add a second light rail line through downtown Dallas.
DART board members voted unanimously to approve the same proposed train route that Dallas City Council members approved earlier this month.
The route would run east-to-west along Young Street, but then veer up in the area of Ervay Street toward Jackson Street, and from there head east toward Deep Ellum.
This proposed route is an alteration of a previous proposal – called B4 – which would have carried light rail traffic down Young alone, threatening the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas and several town homes in the Farmers Market district.
"This is, unquestionably, not in the best interests of the entire city of Dallas," said John Crawford, president and CEO of Downtown Dallas, Inc., who spoke to DART board members Tuesday. "More time is needed."
Crawford warned board members that no analysis has been done on the Jackson Street alternative route and that the newly-proposed alignment impacts 651 apartments, 161 hotel rooms, 25,000 square-feet of retail space and 1,682 structured parking spots.
Following the DART board's vote, Crawford told NBCDFW he is optimistic that the plan will ultimately work out for the better.
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"That's just life in the big city. You're going to have some win, some lose," Crawford said. "But I think by doing it the way the DART board did it today, they have minimized the impact, at least at this stage."
The DART board will now seek federal funding for the proposed rail line, which is still several years from being completed.
DART board members noted Tuesday that this proposal will be subject to change as the project moves forward, based upon cost and environmental concerns that may come about in the future.
